Medion Akoya Centrino $949 @bestbuy ?

New hardware vendor?
"sleek german engineered .."
$150 "total savings"
cd-rw 60gb 512 mb wireless lan
widescreen, bright screen
Pentium M 730 1.6 ghz 4.4 lbs, 12.1" screen $940

Same, w/ Pentium 753, 1.7, 80 gb, 5.5 lbs: $1049

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7134941&type=product&cmp=++&id=1110263501821

 

Looks like the Averatec case to me. Hope it is better quality though. The Averatecs have a reputation for cracking - probably need more care in handling than the norm.

 

In short: An ex-Medion-tech-support guy says, "very, very few hardware problems" - but it's been 18 months since he handled them.

They seem to be sold here via consumer chains, e.g. Costco, J&R, and ALDI Foods, a US subsidiary of German parent (which owns Medion?)

http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/read.cgi?id=20050130&tid=1516960
In long:

Medion is really big in Europe. They've only been in the US for a few years. The equipment is really rather good, considering the low prices. They generally build small quantities for a specific retailer, so they aren't building more than what that retailer wants. I'll agree with your concerns about the site, though. They generally don't put anything up until the product has been out for awhile.

In case you're wondering how I know all this, I used to do support for them once upon a mid-day dreary. Very few hardware problems in comparison to other brands. When I was supporting them, they had just put out thier first notebook in the US. Most of the calls on it were from people that shouldn't own computers. Rarely was a call on a hardware problem, either on the one notebook I supported or on the multiple desktops. We had to replace a couple of desktop harddrives and one or two notebook harddrives, but that was about it. Fairly solid machines, overall, and I have no problem recommending them (as a company) unlike most of the companies/products I've supported over the years.

The caveat I'll give is that I can no longer speak to the quality of support, as I haven't supported it in about a year and a half.

 

Take a look at this:

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?rb=522914506&action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=154304

It is a little heavier and no glossy screen. The HP dv1000 would another good choice:

http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/cto/computer_customize_components.do

I'd recommend the larger battery and the 5400RPM hard drive. Good Luck.






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Thinkpad T42:
* 1.8Ghz Pentium M * 1.5GB Memory * 60GB Hitachi 7200RPM * 15" SXGA+ Flexview * CDRW/DVD Combo *

 

I just saw two models at our local Best Buy. They look nice, and the screens seemed pretty reasonable. The keyboard had some flex, but other than that they seem like a pretty good value.

Brian

www.BargainPDA.com | www.DigitalCameraReview.com | www.NotebookReview.com | www.SpotStop.com | www.TabletPCReviewSpot.com

 

Just picked up a Medion Akoya EX yesterday from Best Buy. Not a bad notebook!

1.7 ghz Pentium M (735)
512k mb (2 DIMM) upgradeable to 1 gb
80 gb harddrive
dvd burner/cd burner
built in wireless lan
wxga TFT glossy screen (1280 x 768)
only weighs 5 lbs
14.1 in screen
DVi out
400 mhz system bus
2mb cache on die lev. 2
PCMCIA (5 type card reader)


$1050

I'm going to do a review on it, so stay tuned....

Medion Akoya Ex

 

Those models are the EX and LS, one is a 12 inch notebook, the other is a 14 inch notebook. Both looks pretty well built to me and a good buy.

 

I bought one from Bestbuy today. Be careful with replacement parts. The one battery replacement I saw cost $500 to replace. With the low price however, a 3 year service plan is not too much extra. I bought one of the $250, the first in nearly a dozen computer purchases.

 

I'm posting from a new Akoya EX that I picked up for my wife's birthday. I run a wireless ISP and have worked in technology for 20 years. I love this little baby!!

The white case is very attractive (and feminine), it runs cool (no burned thighs), quiet (the fan is barely audible during basic usage), and very lightweight. The keyboard has an excellent feel and the display is crisp and bright.

Only issue I had (which has been mentioned in a couple posts and threads here) was how to get the wireless to be activated when Windows starts. Repeating here...but it is just a BIOS setting. F2 during reboot, go to WLAN settings and select to use the last setting rather than the default "Disabled".

I also had that issue with the Norton AV error message...is says to delete it and reinstall. I deleted it and actually installed the McAfee VirusScan that I bought along with Paintshop Pro 8 and some game disc for the kids for a whopping $49. That is a standard deal that BestBuy offers...most titles are available in the stores...some only online.

Also, before I had read the solution to the wireless question here...I had emailed tech support...and they responded quickly with the solution. I actually hadn't even read the flyer in the packaging that highlights the 365 24/7 Fast Friendly Free Customer Care. I opted for the 3-year extended warranty from Best Buy on the tip from the sales dude that it covers a replacement battery...a likely need within 3 years.

I also had never heard of Medion before. But I read what I could online and checked out their website. Based on the feel of the build quality I am very optimistic about this notebook. The global site is: http://www.medion.com/ and the US site is http://www.medionusa.com/

 

I'd consider buying one if I didn't have to buy it from BB. Can you get them anywhere else?

What's the word on battery life?

[ our words to still their voice | our hands to break their worthles necks ]